Maximizing virtual team performance has become a crucial aspect of modern business operations as remote work continues to grow in popularity. In this context, managing remote teams presents unique challenges and opportunities for managers to ensure that team members are productive, engaged, and aligned with company goals.
To maximize virtual team (VT) performance, it is essential to adopt the right management strategies and tools. We gathered some of the most popular and widely used ones in our article. The following tips can help you manage your VT effectively and enhance productivity.
Tips on Managing a Virtual Team
In the last few years, more and more companies switched to a remote form of work. Managing remote work differs a lot from managing teams in real-life situations. As a manager, you’ll have to change your approach to the organization process.
Applying Communication Tools
Without any doubt, communication is the most important factor for the successful work of any team, and managers need to use the right tools to keep everyone connected and aligned with the company’s goals.
Here are some of the essential communication tools that managers can use:
- Video conferencing. Video conferencing allows VT members to communicate face-to-face, enhancing the quality of communication and collaboration. Tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet are widely used for that purpose today;
- Instant messaging. Instant messaging tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or WhatsApp provide a quick and easy way for team members to communicate with each other, share files, and collaborate on projects;
- Project management software. Project management software like Asana, Trello, or Jira can help virtual teams stay organized, track progress, and collaborate on tasks. You can use them to assign tasks, group them, and monitor the results;
- Cloud-based storage. Cloud-based storage tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive can help remote teams store and share files, ensuring that everyone has access to the latest version of documents and data.
Define the Schedule
The main benefit of most remote work positions is flexibility. Usually, they don’t have a strictly defined schedule. However, when it comes to working in a team, it’s essential to line up each schedule, as quite often, remote work companies combine workers from different countries and time zones.
It doesn’t really matter at which time the workers deal with their individual tasks as long as they follow all the deadlines. However, if some tasks require communication between the members, you’ll need to pay more attention to time management here.
Probably the best thing you can do is have a meeting with each team member and ask them about their preferable working hours. That way, you’ll be able to put all their schedules together and figure out what is the best timing for common tasks.
It’s vital to be respectful towards your employees and teach them to act the same way towards each other. It’s essential that everyone pays attention to the relevant working hours of each team member and doesn’t bother them outside these working hours. Actually, in most messengers, you can set your availability hours and your current status. It can be hard to memorize everyone’s schedule, so this feature can be really useful.
Build Trust
Building trust between a manager and employees is critical for the success of any team. When employees trust their manager, they do the following:
- Become more likely to communicate openly;
- Ask for help when needed;
- Take ownership of their work.
Trust also fosters a positive work environment where employees feel valued, respected, and appreciated. Therefore, building trust should be a priority for managers who want to maximize team performance, productivity, and employee satisfaction.
This aspect becomes even more important when it comes to remote teams. Monitoring the working process and tracking the results remotely is much harder than doing it in person. Remote workers usually have more autonomy. That’s why it’s so essential for a manager to completely trust their team members.
A good manager knows which aspects require more control and when they can fully rely on their employees. In this case, it’s all about finding balance. Therefore, managers should focus on building trust with their remote team members by communicating transparently, providing feedback, and being available to address concerns.
Using Tools for Team Collaboration
No team can work effectively without proper organization. Every team member has to be aware of their tasks, deadlines, meetings, etc. There are actually various tools you can use to make all the processes more organized and avoid any misunderstandings. These tools facilitate communication, collaboration, and project management among remote team members, making it easier to work together from different locations.
What they can offer you:
- Aligning all the schedules;
- Organizing online meetings (make sure your workers can request a meeting with you or their team members);
- Create dashboards with tasks and track the progress of the work. That way, your or other team members will be able to assign tasks to others;
- Use professional messengers for communication;
- Store all the important files and documents in one place, so everyone can access them when needed.
Overall, team collaboration tools are critical for remote teams, providing a way to communicate, collaborate, and manage projects effectively. By using these tools, businesses can ensure that their remote workforce is productive, engaged, and connected to the rest of the team.
Giving Regular Feedback
Providing feedback to remote workers is crucial for maintaining a productive and engaged workforce. In a remote work environment, it can be easy for employees to feel disconnected from their colleagues and the company as a whole, making feedback an essential component for creating a sense of connection and direction.
- Feedback helps remote workers understand how they are performing and where they can improve. Without it, remote employees may not know if they are meeting their goals or if their work is satisfactory. This can lead to frustration and disengagement, which can ultimately impact productivity and retention;
- Furthermore, providing feedback is a way to recognize and appreciate remote workers‘ efforts. Remote workers may not have the same opportunities for recognition as their office-based counterparts, such as spontaneous compliments from colleagues or managers. By providing regular feedback, managers can show remote employees that their contributions are valued and appreciated;
- Feedback also helps to build a sense of trust between managers and remote workers. Remote employees need to know that they can rely on their managers for support and guidance, especially when they encounter challenges.
Set Clear Goals
In a remote work environment, setting clear goals for your team is essential to ensuring productivity, accountability, and overall success. Without clear goals, remote workers may struggle to understand what is expected of them, leading to confusion, missed deadlines, and a lack of direction.
One of the main benefits of setting clear goals is that it allows remote workers to prioritize their tasks and focus on what is most important.
Clear goals also provide a sense of direction and purpose for remote workers. When employees understand what they are working towards and how their contributions fit into the bigger picture, they are more likely to feel engaged and motivated.
Additionally, clear goals provide a basis for performance evaluation and feedback. By setting specific, measurable goals, remote workers and their managers can track progress and identify areas for improvement. This allows for more effective performance evaluations and more meaningful feedback, which can ultimately help remote workers to grow and develop in their roles.
Summing Up
In conclusion, managing virtual teams effectively requires a combination of communication skills, technology, and management strategies. By setting clear expectations, using the right tools, and fostering a culture of collaboration, managers can maximize virtual team performance and ensure that team members are engaged, motivated, and productive.
